Severed Head Found Atop Abandoned Car In Ciudad Juarez Has El Paso Connection

It’s a grizzly Ciudad Juarez murder with a startling El Paso connection. Mexican authorities discovered a severed head on top of the trunk of an abandoned blue Hyundai Wednesday afternoon.

That car, which was stolen two weeks ago in Juarez, has Texas license plates and is registered to two people who live in El Paso.

ABC-7 spoke with the car owner’s daughter at the family’s home. They did not want to be identified. “They left us without a car just to kill somebody,” she said.

The daughter said she had gone to Juarez with her mother about two weeks ago and as they were leaving a store, two men approached them and ordered them in Spanish to, “leave the car, turn it on, and get out.”

She said they filed a police report with Juarez authorities and were told they would be contacted if something came up. When asked if they knew their car was now at the center of a Mexican murder investigation, the family was shocked.

“I don’t want (the car) back,” said the daughter.

Investigators in Juarez have not identified the man whose severed head was found on top of the car. It is unknown who is responsible for the crime, but a cartel connection is suspected since a “narcopinta” message was found written and wrapped around the head.

Now the family whose car was used in the murder are afraid that the criminals have access to their personal information.

“We had passports, money, my wallet, all that kind of stuff inside the car,” said the car owner’s daughter.

The El Paso Police Department cannot intervene in this case because the crime happened outside its jurisdiction, but a spokesman offered tips to avoid being victimized abroad. He said travelers should go in groups, drive with the doors locked, and make eye contact with people to show would-be-criminals you will not be caught off guard in a dangerous situation.